Author

Date of Award

Document Type

Degree Name

Department

First Advisor

Kim Gorgens

First Committee Member

Terri M. Davis

Second Committee Member

Jennifer Gafford

Keywords

Keywords Justice-involved; corrections; women; TBI; violence

Abstract

Study Questions: This study investigated the rates of violence-related TBI among justiceinvolved women compared to justice-involved men. This study also investigated whether a number of sociological vulnerabilities were associated with violence-related TBI among justiceinvolved women. Method: Archival data from 409 justice-involved individuals were used in this study. Men and women were compared on the prevalence and incidence of violence-related TBI, violence-related multiple TBIs, and all multiple TBIs using Pearson Chi-Squares. Men and women were compared on the total number of TBIs and youngest age of TBI using Mann-Whitney U Tests. Women were grouped by violence-related TBI history and compared on multiple vulnerabilities such as physical health problems, mental illness, and length of incarceration. Women were then re-grouped into violence-related multiple TBI, violence-related single TBI, and non-violencerelated TBI and compared on the same variables using Kruskall-Wallis one-way ANOVAs with post hoc tests. Results: There was no significant difference between genders in prevalence or incidence of violence-related TBI. Gender was, however, significantly associated with multiple TBIs (10.330, df = 1, p = .001), and multiple violence-related TBIs (7.074, df = 1, p = .008). History of violence-related TBI was significantly associated with physical health problems (7.902, df = 1, p = .005) and length of incarceration (p = .022). There were significant differences between multiple violence-related TBIs, single violence-related TBI, and non-violence related TBI groups on length of incarceration (p = .001). Discussion: This study revealed a higher prevalence of multiple TBIs and violence-related multiple TBIs among justice-involved women compared to justice-involved men. ViolenceVIOLENCE- RELATED TBI IN JUSTICE-INVOLVED WOMEN 3 related TBIs were associated with more reports of physical illness and increased incarceration times. Clinicians can use this information to justify the identification of justice-involved women with these injuries so they may better tailor services to improve personal outcomes and reduce cost burdens to justice systems.

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